Early look The full preview opens on Thursday 12 November, three days before puck drop, with the expected goalies, the latest team news and game-day prices. Until then this page shows the matchup as it stands.
Early look · NHL 2026-27

Florida Panthers at Dallas Stars: game preview

Puck drop15 Nov · 8:00 PM ET
VenueAmerican Airlines Center
All-time meetings57 completed
BasisLast 5 meetings + 2025-26
The thesis

Twenty-eight points apart last season

Florida finished last season 25th in the league on 84 points. Dallas finished 3rd on 112.

Game-day prices arrive with the afternoon snapshot, about 4:30 PM ET on the day of the game.

Head-to-head

Meeting number 58

Across 57 completed games, Florida lead the head-to-head 33-21-3.

All-time record33-21-3Florida's record in the series
Meetings played57This is number 58
2025-26 series—
Last 55-0Florida
DateResultShotsPower playWinner
13 Dec 2025FLA 4 – DAL 0——FLA
1 Nov 2025DAL 3 – FLA 4 SO——FLA
2 Nov 2024DAL 2 – FLA 4——FLA
1 Nov 2024FLA 6 – DAL 4——FLA
12 Mar 2024FLA 4 – DAL 3——FLA
Head-to-head finder

The table on each 2025-26 meeting night

DateFloridaDallas
1 Nov 20256-5-1 · 13 pts21st6-3-3 · 15 pts9th
13 Dec 202516-13-2 · 34 pts20th21-7-5 · 47 pts2nd

League rank after that night's games; a longer bar is a higher place. On 1 Nov 2025, Florida were 21st in the league and Dallas 9th. By 13 Dec 2025 it was 20th and 2nd.


Where the shots come from · last 5 meetings

Florida out-attempted Dallas 119 to 86

Every attempt from the last meetings, both teams shooting right.

Florida Panthers

119 att · 51 on goal · 7 G · 13.7%
Crease9 att · 2 G
Slot54 att · 1 G
Wing34 att · 3 G
Point20 att · 0 G
Neutral zone2 att · 1 G

Dallas Stars

86 att · 37 on goal · 3 G · 8.1%
Crease5 att · 0 G
Slot36 att · 3 G
Wing32 att · 0 G
Point12 att · 0 G
Neutral zone1 att · 0 G
GoalOn goalMissedBlocked

Expected goals

Florida and Dallas are level on chances, last 10 games

Shot quality both ways: expected goals weigh every unblocked attempt by its chance of scoring. Finishing above zero means more goals than the chances.

FloridaDallas
3.01xG for per game3.08
2.34xG against per game2.44
56.3%xG share55.8%
−4.0FinishingGoals minus expected goals−3.2
+1.4GoaltendingExpected goals against minus goals allowed+1.3

This season: 4 games for Florida, 3 for Dallas. Small sample: early-season xG moves a lot from night to night.

Every team’s xG →


Special teams

Power play and penalty kill, season and series

This season's rates first, then 2025-26 and the last meetings between the two. Power-play chances are counted from the penalty log with coincidental minors cancelled; faceoffs are each club's wins over draws taken.

All bars share one scale · 0–100%SeasonLast meetings

Florida

Small sample
Power play · 2026-274.3%
Power play · 2025-2619.5% · 19th
Power play · last 5 meetings—
Penalty kill · 2026-2778.9%
Penalty kill · 2025-2681.0% · 9th
Faceoffs · 2026-2750.2% · 115/229
Drawn · 2026-2723 (5.75/gm)
Drawn · last meetings0 (0.00/gm)
Shorthanded · 2026-2719 (4.75/gm)
PP goals · last meetings0

Dallas

Small sample
Power play · 2026-270.0%
Power play · 2025-2628.6% · 2nd
Power play · last 5 meetings—
Penalty kill · 2026-2777.8%
Penalty kill · 2025-2680.3% · 13th
Faceoffs · 2026-2755.1% · 86/156
Drawn · 2026-278 (2.67/gm)
Drawn · last meetings0 (0.00/gm)
Shorthanded · 2026-279 (3.00/gm)
PP goals · last meetings0

Skaters

Skaters to watch

Each club's top three forwards and defencemen by points this season, with 2025-26 one tap away.

PlayerGPGAPP/GP
19Matthew Tkachuk42130.75
20Lars Eller40330.75
9Sam Bennett40330.75
14Jamie Benn31120.67
96Mikko Rantanen31120.67
21Jason Robertson31120.67
Points leaders
PlayerGPGAPP/GP
3Seth Jones41010.25
42Gustav Forsling31010.33
57Tyler Myers30000.00
23Esa Lindell30000.00
Defencemen stats

Goaltending

Who has stopped this matchup

Save percentage in the last meetings by goalie. Starters are confirmed on game day.

Expected startersAn estimate until the teams confirmEvery game tonight →

Expected starter after their game on 14 Nov: a back-to-back depends on who plays that night.

Expected starter after their game on 14 Nov: a back-to-back depends on who plays that night.

Florida crease

FLA · 2026-27 Starter estimate from 12 Nov

Jacob Markstrom.9273 GP · 2-0-1 · GSAx +3.2
Akira Schmid.8751 GP · 0-0-1 · GSAx −1.0

No appearances against Dallas in the last meetings.

Dallas crease

DAL · 2026-27 Starter estimate from 12 Nov

Jake Oettinger.9432 GP · 1-1-0 · GSAx +2.0
Casey DeSmith.9231 GP · 0-1-0 · GSAx +0.4

No appearances against Florida in the last meetings.


Totals

Scoring rates point to about 5.9 goals

No total is posted yet: it arrives with the game-day prices. Until then, the scoring rates and the recent meetings set the range.

Goals in the last 5 meetings

13 Dec 20254 · FLA 4–0 DAL
1 Nov 20257 · DAL 3–4 FLA
2 Nov 20246 · DAL 2–4 FLA
1 Nov 202410 · FLA 6–4 DAL
12 Mar 20247 · FLA 4–3 DAL

Bar length is total goals, coloured by the winner.

Scoring rates

Team26-27 GF26-27 GA25-26 GF25-26 GA
Florida2.002.003.063.37
Dallas2.002.003.402.76

Goals for and against per game. The estimate averages each team’s scoring with the other’s goals allowed, and leans on 2025-26 until a team has played 20 games.

Scoring rates suggest5.9Goals in this game
Last 5 meetings6.8Goals per game
Line—No total posted yet
Books at the line—With the game-day prices

Team news

9 on the injury lists

Florida · injuries

Aaron EkbladPersonalOutReturn10 Oct
Aleksander BarkovLower BodyIRReturn27 Nov
Brad MarchandLegDay-to-dayReturn10 Oct
Jonah GadjovichUpper BodyIRReturn17 Oct
MacKenzie EntwistleUndisclosedIRReturn10 Oct

Dallas · injuries

Cameron HughesUpper BodyIRReturn10 Oct
Harrison ScottUndisclosedIRReturn8 Oct
Luke KrysUndisclosedIRReturn10 Oct
Matt DucheneLower BodyIRReturn25 Oct
3 Oct · FLA

Placed C Aleksander Barkov on long-term injured reserve. Called up D Alexander Petrovic from Charlotte (AHL).

3 Oct · FLA

Placed C Aleksander Barkov on long-term injured reserve.

27 Sep · FLA

Placed RW/C Cole Schwindt, RD Alexander Petrovic, LD Donovan Sebrango, LW Kai Schwindt, LW Cole Reinhardt, RW Sam Lafferty and C/LW John Beecher on waivers. Agreed to terms with RW Nathan Bastian on a 1-year, two-way contract.

5 Oct · DAL

Assigned D Cameron Bertucci to Texas (AHL).

1 Oct · DAL

Placed F Matt Duchene on long-term injured reserve retroactive to Sept. 29. Recalled Fs Arttu Hyry and Colin Blackwell from Texas (AHL).

30 Sep · DAL

Signed G Casey DeSmith to a two-year contract.

Injury report
#40Simas IgnataviciusRound 2 · GeneveRW
#48Ryder CaliRound 2 · North BayC
#98Jonas KempsRound 4 · ChicagoD
#168Vilho VanhataloRound 6 · Tappara Jr.RW
Full draft
#59Jakub VanecekRound 2 · Tri-cityD
#155Ryan BrownRound 5 · LondonLW
#187Anton Emil Wilde LarsenRound 6 · FrederikshavnG
#197Jasper KuhtaRound 7 · OttawaC
Full draft

Updated after every final